Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 156, No. 9
INSIDE
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Fallout from Kehs' comments continues in Oxford Board member wants to deny $6.4 million in federal funding to Oxford schools, students By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Contributing Writer
William Penn and the founding of Pennsylvania—Part 2...1B
Group works on plan for American Recovery Plan Act funds...5B
Summer Camp and Education Guide...C & D sections
INDEX Opinion.......................5A Obituaries......2B, 3B & 5B
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When the Oxford School Board met on Feb. 22, it was necessary to hold the meeting in the Hopewell School multipurpose room, rather than the District Administration Building, because of the size of the audience. Although there was no display of violence, the board was prepared for the possibility with Oxford Borough police or security positioned at each of the three doors to the room. Many of the crowd members wore T-shirts with Oxford maroon lettering proclaiming “Kids First,” while others sported buttons that declared “Resign Jennifer Kehs.” Newly elected in November, Kehs took her place on the board in December and soon generated controversy. In January, she made comments concerning changes to district policy on home-
less students, connecting that designation with students she characterized as illegal immigrants. She also appeared to draw a correlation between increasing numbers of these students and falling test scores in the district. Kehs’ comments sparked television news coverage, a firestorm on social media and petitions calling for her resignation or removal. In addition to parents and community members being outspoken in their opposition, students have joined the movement against her. At the Feb. 22 meeting, after her regular report on recent and upcoming student activities, the board’s student representative, Victoria Milburn, referenced the benefits of diversity within the district. “I am proud I have learned in an environment that promotes diversity,” she said to a resounding round of applause from the audience. During public com-
ment there were other high school students who came to the microphone to express their support of their fellow students who are learning English as a second language, and the value they add to the educational experience. Public sentiment was demonstrated most dramatically when resident Jim Shan was admonished for directing personal attacks against Kehs and her family. At that point, he opted to use the remainder of his allotted 5-minute comment period to stand in silent opposition. Roughly 90 percent of the audience joined him to stand in silent solidarity in opposition to Kehs. The audience members stood silently for over three minutes in spite of a call to the board from a Kehs’ supporter in the audience, objecting to the demonstration. In spite of the overwhelmContinued on page 3A
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Police arrest suspect in fatal stabbing on Lincoln University campus
Courtesy image
Nydira Smith, a resident of Philadelphia, faces third-degree murder and other related charges after three students were stabbed on the Lincoln University campus—one of them fatally.
Nydira Smith arrived Feb. 16, according to law on the campus of Lincoln enforcement officials. University at approxiBy the time the mately 9:07 p.m. on the 39-year-old Philadelphia evening of Wednesday, Continued on page 2A
For some, the invasion of Ukraine hits close to home By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer The world watched in horror this week as Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, its neighbor, in a major escalation in a war that has been ongoing since 2014. For people like Beata Baker, the horrors of the invasion hit closer to home because of personal ties to
that part of the world. “I just can’t imagine what it must be like for the Ukrainian people at this time,” Baker said. “Families are being separated. Men between 60 and 18 have to fight in the war. Their wives and children are forced to pack a bag and leave their houses, leave the country where they have lived all their life and find a way out of Ukraine. They have no idea where
they are going, where they will stay or how they will survive. I feel that pain. I cannot imagine having to do that.” Baker lives with her husband in the Borough of Oxford. She is not a citizen of this country, but rather she is a citizen of Poland, which borders on Ukraine. She actually works for the European Division of Little League International. Her office is located in Kutno,
Poland, only about four hours from the border of Ukraine. Baker has her green card (officially known as a Permanent Resident Card) which allows her to live and work permanently in the United States. She was working in Kutno just four days before Russia invaded Ukraine. “Just before I came back, the Russian military was already positioned
in Ukraine. There was still time for negotiations. Poland borders on Ukraine. I don’t think Poland is threatened at this point, because we are part of NATO and the European Union. But the whole world is worried how far Putin will go,” she said. “There are many countries close by that aren’t in NATO, such as Serbia, Georgia, Azerbijan, Continued on page 2A
Rep. Houlahan receives New Garden tour of New Garden board approves Flying Field Thompson Road subdivision plan By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer After several drafts, provisions and nearly seven years of presentations before the New Garden Board of Supervisors, the team behind the proposed construction of a residential development on Thompson Road received final land approval at the board’s Feb. 22 meeting. The 51-unit development, which will be constructed on the western side of the road only, will feature three-to four-bedroom, single-family residences between 2,800 and 3,200 square feet in size, each with an attached garage. The homes are valued at a beginning cost of $650,000. Short Brothers, a West Chester-based developer, is expected to break ground on the construction of the development in early to
mid-summer of this year, with an anticipated completion date of between two and three years. “It has been a rather lengthy road of approval, but we are pleased to report that the township consultants have been satisfied with the changes made to the plan,” said attorney John Jaros, who introduced an additional four waivers that were granted as part of the preliminary plan approval, that were read by township Solicitor William Christman. As the plans for the development were being approved in stages, two of the sticking points expressed by the township board dealt with the possibility of having to widen Thompson Road to accommodate new residents, and the need to provide adequate room for emergency vehicles Continued on page 3A
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan met with New Garden Flying Field Aviation Director Jon Martin during her tour of the facility on Feb. 23.
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Given her extensive background in aviation, in particular her service in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves, it seemed very apropos that U.S. Representative Chrissy
Houlahan visited the New Garden Flying Field on Feb. 23 for a one-hour tour of the facility. The tour was highlighted by a presentation given by Flying Field Aviation Director Jon Martin, who detailed the extent of the airport’s day-to-day opera-
tions, its continued growth from the purchase of two adjoining farms in 1965 to a key aviation center in southeastern Pennsylvania, and the extensive upgrades to its infrastructure that included the expansion of its runway and the addition Continued on page 4A